Chocolate Castles as wel

After 20 days we arrived home late last night. We had been driving from Phoenix for the last 2 days. Frosty has been sick with a horrible cough which sounds like he smokes a carton a day. So driving and listening to him make noises which I have never heard before had me repeating at least once every 30 minutes, “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health” all the while having to dodge the filled kleenix which were laying around the floorboard of our car, in the ash tray and side pockets of the car door. Isn’t marriage grand? It’s times like this when it is so hard to remember the marriage vows which at the time seemed so easy to repeat. Of course, I will love this man forever all dressed up in his gorgeous wedding suit all the while gazing down on my size 8 figure. WHERE ARE THOSE DAYS? Ok, Ok, guess I’ve changed a little also, maybe gained a pound or 30! Ain’t love grand!!! Seriously, I wouldn’t change this coughing sickly little hubby of mine for the world. He still looks so great in a suit and the most fun Frosty, helping me decorate and acts crazy like me. It is a marriage made at the North Pole…I mean Heaven!

After 11 hours yesterday in the car and sitting at a dead stop on Interstate 20 while they cleared 4 different pile ups, 4 different times, we were so thankful to the Lord for the safe journey which He granted to us. Dead tired with numb rear ends, we walked into the house and saw little notes all over our house. I immediately began to walk around and pull them off wherever they were stuck and began to read them.

While we were gone these last 20 days we invited 6 ladies to use our house for their annual Dallas Shopping trip. In my quest to inform them where different things were in the house, such as the under the counter lights or extra blankets, I guess I got carried away and began, as a joke, to put stickers on the microwave, the oven, fridge, pantry, etc…you get the idea. So when we walked in last night, to our delight, we found little notes placed in the best places. Still found some this morning. When I opened the cabinet this morning to get a coffee mug, there was a note attached to a coffee cup which read, “lots of hot drinks were drank from these coffee mugs,” Another note was attached to my Christmas blankets which read, “sure enjoyed snuggling up after shopping in these blankets”. Notes were on the fireplace, the bowl of candy, the beds and pillows. What fun to read all the little thoughts. Thank you Cindy, Cathy, Deanne, Donna, Susan and Carrie, you brought a lot of joy and Christmas cheer to us by your thoughtfulness and ideas!

Then going upstairs to carry all our bags and clothes, we stumbled into the bathroom to find cute little gel stickers which the girls had put on our shower door. Made my day. It made me think how much more fun was finding all these little notes which brought so many smiles to my heart instead of just the typical thank you note. So next time we are staying with friends or family that is exactly what I’m going to do.

The first thing that I gave thanks for after thanking the Lord for the safe uneventful trip was that I had decorated the house before leaving for California. It was worth listening to people making fun of how early we decorated when we came home last night to a completely decorated house and getting to wake up this morning to Christmas trees and nativity sets already up and allowing me to just enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas while unpacking and doing laundry.

Tomorrow is December 1st. Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come, Let Earth Receive Her King!! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. May our lights shine brightly as we are out among friends, family and folks which need to be pointed to the Savior who is the Light of the World!